Combinaciones cigars

Combinaciones are Habanos' official multi-marque samplers: one box containing cigars from several different Cuban houses, usually matched by vitola so you are comparing blends rather than sizes.

This is the most efficient way to work out which marque suits you. Smoking a Partagás robusto, a Hoyo robusto and a Montecristo robusto within a few weeks of each other, from cigars stored identically, tells you more about your own palate than a year of reading tasting notes. The vitola is held constant, so any difference you notice is the tobacco.

Worth buying early. Once you know which house you gravitate to, you can stop guessing and start buying boxes.